Target: Customer PINs Stolen in Data Breach

Target(MINNEAPOLIS) — Target Corp. said that PIN data was in fact removed during its massive data breach, but that it remains “confident that PIN numbers are safe and secure.”

Target, based in Minneapolis, Minn., released a statement on Friday into the investigation into the data breach that may have impacted 40 million of whom had their credit and debit card information exposed when hackers breached the retailers systems between Nov. 27 and Dec. 15.

Earlier this week, a Reuters report said debit card pin data may have been compromised, which Target denied. But through “additional forensics work” on Friday morning, the company confirmed “that strongly encrypted PIN data was removed.”

“The most important thing for our guests to know is that their debit card accounts have not been compromised due to the encrypted PIN numbers being taken,” Target said in its statement.

Target defended its position saying the PIN is encrypted at the keypad with what is known as Triple DES when a guest uses a debit card in our stores and enters a PIN.

“We remain confident that PIN numbers are safe and secure. The PIN information was fully encrypted at the keypad, remained encrypted within our system, and remained encrypted when it was removed from our systems,” Target said in its statement on Friday.

Target said it “does not have access to nor does it store the encryption key” within its system.

“The PIN information is encrypted within Target’s systems and can only be decrypted when it is received by our external, independent payment processor,” Target said on Friday. “What this means is that the ‘key’ necessary to decrypt that data has never existed within Target’s system and could not have been taken during this incident.”

Experts believed the PINs might have been compromised because banks like JPMorgan Chase decided to limit ATM withdrawals and debit card purchases of affected Target customers.

Target is reaching out to affected customers after it discovered scam artists posing as company representatives tried to steal more personal information.